The present disclosure relates to methods and compositions for treating subterranean formations.
In hydrocarbon exploration and production, a variety of treatment chemicals, including scale inhibitors, may be used to facilitate the production of the hydrocarbons from subterranean formations. However, many treatment chemicals may be affected by exposure to the well bore environment before the chemicals reach their desired destinations in the subterranean formation. This can result in the reaction of the treatment chemical within the well bore, which, depending on the treatment chemical, could impact the production potential of the well. The effectiveness of the treatment chemical may be reduced if released or consumed prematurely.
In some cases, treatment chemicals, such as scale inhibitors, may be encapsulated in a polymeric material. However, such polymeric materials used to encapsulate the scale inhibitors may not be degradable and thus may remain in the subterranean formation, which can result in formation damage and/or connectivity issues. Therefore, additional steps may be needed to remove the encapsulating materials that remain in the wellbore after the scale inhibitor has reacted.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted, such embodiments do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation should be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.